


Starbucks

by orphan_account



Category: Sparks Nevada Marshal on Mars, The Thrilling Adventure Hour, Thrilling Adventure Hour, tah
Genre: Current Day AU, Dolores is an amputee, F/F, High School AU, coffee shop AU, some homophobic violence in a future chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-12 02:24:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4461752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Her eye settled on a girl who's laugh seemed less enthusiastic as she sat precariously on the outside of the group. The girl seemed short and wiry compared to the bulky giants around her. Her straw-coloured hair hung in two messy braids and she had a scar running across her nose."</p><p>Dolores develops a crush on Pemily when she sees her and her soccer team in a Starbucks</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is trash but there are barely any fics about these two.  
> Also this is a very quick read with short-ass chapters (it's my first fic ok)

"One mocha latte for Rebecca" Dolores County called tiredly into the sea of chattering students in the Starbucks where she worked. She had spelled the name 'Rebecka' despite knowing perfectly well it was wrong. It was practically in the job description.  
A skinny girl in a massive maroon scarf took the coffee with a scowl at her misspelled name and Dolores brought her hand down as gently as possible to join her other hand on the counter, equally spreading her body weight between both arms. She hadn't managed to get used to her new prosthetic legs yet and she couldn't serve drinks and hold crutches at the same time.

As the tired barista watched the girl retreat to a table by the window, her eye was quickly drawn to the girls' soccer team, splattered in mud from a recent game and taking up two large and rather central tables. She lazily scanned the laughing players until her eye settled on a girl who's laugh seemed less enthusiastic as she sat precariously on the outside of the group. The girl seemed short and wiry compared to the bulky giants around her. Her straw-coloured hair hung in two messy braids and she had a scar running across her nose. 

"Em, excuse me" a tentative voice said.  
Dolores felt her cheeks grow hot. She had no idea how long she'd been staring. The girl at the counter was smiling nervously, and had probably been there some time. Dolores rushed into action, clumsily tripping over her own legs and just catching herself on the counter in time. It seemed like the only thing she could do was embarass herself further and by the time she'd figured out a way to botch the name 'Virginia', the football team had already left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look they talk

Dolores saw the soccer girl several times in the cafe since that day, sometimes alone, sometimes with the team, once with two boys a good few years older than her (she hoped she wasn't dating either of them, and not just for jealousy reasons), and each time Dolores hoped she'd buy a drink, anything for a chance to talk to her and learn her name, but each time she left with nothing more than a sip from someone else's cup.  
One Tuesday, though, Soccer Girl was there alone. She was carrying a laptop bag and seemed conflicted about buying anything. Dolores quickly manoeuvred herself to the till and tried to look busy wiping the spotless surface with a j cloth. Her heart was beating fast as she heard footsteps approaching in the quiet cafe..

"Excuse me"

"YES?" Dolores whipped her head up and then blushed furiously at herself. Real smooth.  
The blonde girl seemed taken aback and Dolores wanted to sink to the floor and die but both quickly composed themselves.

"Uh, yeah can I just get a.. uhm, an americano? Please." Soccer Girl was fidgeting with the collar of her t shirt.  
Dolores grabbed a cup.

"What's the name?" She asked, trying to act normal and not like someone who'd probably be writing that name on every piece of paper she had for an indefinite amount of time.

"Uh, Pemily." The girl was rubbing the back of her neck "It's, uh, it's like Emily, but with a... with a p" and she pressed her lips together.  
Dolores grinned to herself. Soccer Girl, Pemily, was clearly just as awkward as she was, and that made her much more confident somehow.

"Quiet in here today." She commented gently as she spelled the name Pemily correctly on the coffee cup. 

"Oh! Uh, yeah" Pemily replied "Just trying to get some studying done, and all that."

"You go to the mixed school, I'm guessing?" 

"Yeah, are you in the all girls'?"

"Nah I'm homeschooled." Dolores put the lid on the cup and handed it over. 

Pemily already had her money counted from reading the menu, and probably recounted over and over. It was a sure sign of a Starbucks newbie. Or a newbie in anything, she reckoned. Dolores smiled at her as she took the coins, a rare genuine smile from a perpetually tired barista, and Pemily smiled back.

"So anyway, I guess I'll see you around." She said, and Dolores thought she even saw a hint of a blush on the girl's scarred cheeks. 

"Good luck on your study" Dolores bid her farewell as casually as possible, then grabbed her crutches and elbowed Mordecai, the college kid who usually shared her shifts, towards the counter before heading out the back door, and squealing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to say earlier that I know nothing about how a) Starbucks or b) prosthetics work so it seemed like a good time now

From then on, Pemily spent more and more evenings in the Starbucks, tapping away at her laptop. Each time she tried to order a different drink, which she couldn't always finish. When the cafe was empty, Dolores would mix together different syrups and toppings and create new drinks for her, and these were always on the house. These times were always pleasant, starting with conversation and melting into comfortable silence, each enjoying the other's company. 

Dolores liked Pemily's voice, and demeanour, and sense of humour, and the way she didn't seem to mind when Dolores stumbled clumsily on her own cumbersome plastic appendages.   
She wondered if Pemily knew, if she could see over the counter how she had painted them red and gold to match iron man, and make her feel cool and strong rather than broken. 

It was a Friday evening and Dolores was just about to close up when Pemily rose from her chair. Looking oddly nervous she walked to the counter.

"Hey, uh, can I get a muffin please? Just to take home." She was playing with the collar of her t shirt again, a sure sign of shyness, and Dolores wondered why.

"Oh, sure!" She said, reaching for Pemily's favourite muffin under the counter. "That's 2.99" she always felt bad charging her for anything, but she knew she could get fired for giving away things for free.

Pemily took the muffin and placed her money on the counter before turning quickly and walking towards the door. Dolores frowned at her strange behaviour, but began counting the money on the desk- and froze. Among the notes and coins was a folded up scrap of note paper, and when she opened it there was a number written in perfect handwriting. Underneath were the words 'Call Me'

"Pemily!" 

The blonde girl stopped in her tracks. Her uncharacteristic speed walk had only got her just outside the glass door of the cafe and slowly, reluctantly she turned. Dolores could see she was blushing bright red before she even got back through the door, and was conscious she probably looked the same. 

"Dolores I-"

"No listen" the barista commanded "I like you. But before you do anything you need to know."

Before Pemily could question anything, Dolores had opened the low door and stepped around the counter, revealing her colourful prosthetics with a sarcastic flourish.

"Oh.." Pemily breathed "Oh, Dolores, I'm so sorry"

"It's ok it was years ago" Dolores shrugged "I just want to know that you won't be weird about it"  
"Weird how?"  
"Well I don't know, look down on me or pity me"  
"Well I guarantee I don't. But how do you want me to act?"

"I don't know! Do you like the colours? I painted them myself"  
Pemily smiled.   
"I love the colours. Very Iron Man"

It was Dolores' turn to grin.  
"You'd better go." She nodded "But I will." She added, holding up the crumpled message, and Pemily nodded quickly and ran excitedly out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a filler chapter, even for this

Dolores knew that you were supposed to wait at least three days before calling someone like this, but she'd never truly appreciated how hard it was to wait. By Sunday afternoon, only about two days since she'd spoken to Pemily, she couldn't wait any longer.

The only problem was, as soon as she'd made that decision, she realised she was completely and utterly terrified. She was a nervous person at the best of times, and tended to avoid phone calls if at all possible, so initiating a call with the girl she had a crush on, to plan a date, which was also a scary new experience to her, was possibly the most nerve wracking thing she could imagine. Because of this, it was 8 in the evening by the time she finally tapped Pemily's number into her phone and pressed call.

After what felt like minutes of ringing, there was a disturbance at the other end of the line and a clear voice spoke.

"Hello?"  
Dolores panicked.  
"Uhhhh hey. Oh! Um, this is Dolores. From Starbucks."  
Pemily laughed.  
"What, did you think I'd forgotten you?"  
"Oh, uh, no? I mean I don't know. Will you go on a date with me?"   
Pemily laughed harder, but it was a genuine, friendly laugh and Dolores found herself laughing along.

"I dare say I will" Pemily said, almost teasingly.  
"Where? I don't know how dating works." Dolores' awkward stutters were fading and she found herself comfortable once again in the soccer player's company, however remote. 

It wasn't long before they'd debated the pros and cons of the movies, coffee, coffee-and-a-movie, and a couple other things and settled on takeaway coffee and a walk to the cinema. Needless to say, they weren't going to Starbucks.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my headcanon Dolores is mixed race African American/Japanese and she lives (in this fic) with her Japanese grandmother on her mothers side which is why she addresses her grandmother with (what Google said was) a Japanese term

Dolores had never considered herself someone to fuss over her appearance, but stood in front of her wardrobe the next Saturday morning she found herself lamenting everything about herself, including her leg situation, which greatly limited clothing choices for her bottom half.

She had a lot of shorts. Nice shorts, shorts cut from long trousers, short skirts, and some pretty unappealing long skirts too. Eventually she grabbed some pretty denim shorts, reassured by the fact that they were definitely more attractive than the chopped black jeans of her work uniform. Opting for a hoodie with Iron Man's face printed on the back, she then went downstairs to sit nervously with her clueless grandmother and wait impatiently for 2 o clock.

Her grandmother was just putting cookies in the oven when she reached the kitchen and already the smell of baking was softly filling the kitchen. It was such a soothing smell and she decided to sit on one of the worn wooden chairs to wait. It was only a quarter past twelve and it felt like time was moving both too fast and too slow at the same time.

"You seem tense" the old woman observed, and Dolores shrugged

"I'm excited I guess. I'm going out with some friends"

"Friends?" Her grandmother laughed "from school?"

Dolores rolled her eyes as hands stroked her hair affectionately.

"No, baachan friends from work" she muttered, twisting her hands in the hem of her hoodie.

"Well, you are shaking like a leaf" her grandmother worried "Are you sure you should be meeting friends that make you so afraid?"

Dolores thought of Pemily's happy voice and wide smile and realised she had nothing to prove to her. She found some of her nerves fading, and she stood up to hug her grandmother reassuringly.

"I'm going to be absolutely fine."

****

Despite her almost naive trust in Pemily, Dolores was surprised when the other girl was already waiting outside the small coffee shop when she arrived, picking surreptitiously at the chipping pastel paint on the railings.

"Hey." Dolores all but whispered, and Pemily looked up and grinned.

"You're early!" She said with such confidence that Dolores found herself relaxing.

"Says you!" She retorted, checking the time on her phone. It was still fifteen minutes till 2 o clock.

Pemily pushed open the door to the warm coffee shop and a small bell above the door rang. The room was full of wood furniture and clinking sounds, and felt a world apart from the polished, modern Starbucks where Dolores worked. The middle aged woman behind the counter seemed to know Pemily, and she smiled knowingly at Dolores as they ordered their drinks, which made her smile. Usually a shy and private person, she suddenly wanted the world to know that she, Dolores County, was on a real live coffee date with cute soccer player Pemily Stallwark.

"So, soccer, huh?" Dolores asked, blowing ineffectually through the hole in the lid of her takeaway cup as they walked outside.

Pemily laughed ruefully.

"Soccer." She replied. She took a swig of her coffee before letting out a muffled yell and spitting the scalding liquid into the grass.

"I thought you liked it?"

"Well depends what you're talkin' about." Pemily explained "I love soccer, I do not love my team. And they don't like me."

Dolores was surprised until she remembered the first time she saw her, how isolated she had seemed from her excited teammates.

"How come?" She ventured.

"They don't appreciate my opinions I guess."

"About what?"

Pemily laughed again.

"Girls, mostly."

Dolores nodded understandingly, but she really hadn't been in such a situation herself. Between having hardly any friends and no classmates to come out to and not telling her grandmother, she had managed to steer pretty clear of homophobia her whole life. Never having a girlfriend had also helped that case.

As they neared the cinema the two fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts and drinks, until Dolores noticed Pemily staring at her legs, and smiled at her.

"You're wondering what happened." She said.

"What? No!" Pemily snap out of her trance, shaking her hands " I was just- I mean kinda, but it's not, I'm not putting you under pressure!"

Dolores grinned and feigned interest in a poster for a cheesy-looking romantic comedy.

"Reckon that's second or third date information." She said and laughed when she heard Pemily almost gasp behind her as they walked to the ticket desk.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess violence and tragedy warnings? Like not during the chapter but they're told as stories. Also profanity.

Dolores was well and truly immersed in a honeymoon period, probably the first of her life. Pemily still came to the café most afternoons and just talking to her had Dolores grinning over maths problems the next morning.  
She was learning so much about Pemily: she was left handed, she loved The Hunger Games, she could do a startlingly good Chewbacca impression; small irrelevant things that ended up causing everything to somehow remind her of her.... Girlfriend?? Were they at a girlfriend stage yet? The uncertainty nagged at the edges of Dolores' bliss.

The weekend finally arrived and the two girls were sitting on Dolores' bed trying to choose a movie to watch.

"Iron man? You like iron man right?" Pemily held up a DVD cover without looking up from the pile on the duvet.

"Don't tell anyone," Dolores laughed "But my favourite Marvel movie is actually Guardians of the Galaxy."

"I've never actually seen it."

"What?!" Dolores grabbed the DVD from where she spotted it at the bottom of the pile "Let's watch it then, you'll love it."

"Fair enough" Pemily grinned, crawling forward to slide the disk into the slot on Dolores' ancient tv. The bed shook as she threw herself backwards onto the pillows and Dolores squealed, sending them both into laughing fits as they got comfortable. 

The opening scene was always the hardest part for Dolores and when she watched it alone she usually skipped it, but once it was over and Star Lord was dancing across the screen she could laugh and relax against the soft pillows and warm body beside her and take in the near perfection of this moment. 

The movie was just as wonderful as it had always been and the feeling of resting against someone, an arm around her shoulders, made Dolores want to sing. As the last bars of music faded out and Dolores turned off the tv, the girls were left in a comfortable silence, heavy with sleepiness and dissipating adrenaline.

Pemily took a breath.

"It was 2 years ago." She said. "We had just lost a match and, of course, everyone was taking out their frustration on me. It was nothing new, punching, kicking, name calling but not hard. Like they still kind of cared.  
But the other team saw." Pemily sighed "They were excited by the violence I guess, and they came over to join in, and they were much worse. Then some short kid pulls out a fucking flip knife! And everyone's just worked up I guess, they want to see how far they can go. And so everyone holds me and that girl just cuts across my face and-" she paused, as if it hurt her to remember "They just- they just dropped me and ran. There were no parents or coaches around. I had to walk home with a bleeding face. I think it was the worst day of my life." Pemily relaxed back on to the pillow, the weight of her story off her shoulders.

Dolores was utterly horrified and outraged at the abuse Pemily had suffered, but she realised this was the best moment to tell her own story.

"The worst day of my life..." She whispered, and swallowed hard "I was in my parents office building, I was only seven years old...and...there was a fire. I don't remember much but.. I was trapped. No one could hear me and I couldn't get past the fire. A beam fell from the ceiling and it must have landed on my legs but I passed out." She paused to gather her memories and to calm down "I woke up in hospital with my grandmother beside me. When I realised that my legs were gone I started screaming and no one could stop me. I said I wanted my parents and my grandmother said they were dead. I was so inconsolable they had to sedate me. And the doctors said I was lucky." Pemily was stroking her hand gently "I guess I was lucky. I didn't die, I had no burns on my face or head, and I had my grandmother. But-" she sobbed quietly "I didn't feel lucky." She fell back onto the bed. 

"Oh, no, oh Dolores.." Pemily sounded on the verge of tears herself as she stroked Dolores' back and hair gently. 

"It's ok" Dolores whispered, looking up at Pemily "I'm happy now"  
Pemily pressed her forehead to Dolores'.

"I just want you to be happy, without the bad memories." She whispered 

"Everyone has bad memories." Dolores replied "They define us."

"But-why?" Pemily cried through gritted teeth.

Dolores said nothing. Instead she tipped her chin forward and kissed Pemily gently, barely pulling away before Pemily pressed against the back of her head, pulling her into a deeper kiss; gentle but strong, as if she was trying to get rid of all the bad in Dolores' world, and for that moment, it worked.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey how's everyone handling the end of TAH? (Also in light of the last episode it's worth mentioning that when I imagine Dolores I imagine her as played by Janet Varney but you can do whatever)
> 
> Warnings wise, this was a hard chapter to write. It's short but warnings for violence, homophobia (two uses of the D slur) and ableism

After that night, Dolores hadn't seen Pemily for a week due to Pemily being busy with a soccer tournament so it was with excitement that she got  
dressed that Saturday morning to watch her match. The amount of time she could stand unsupported on her prosthetics was improving, she had an old Jennifer Lopez song stuck in her head for whatever reason and in one of the moments that were becoming increasingly common in Dolores' life, everything seemed ok.

When she arrived a few minutes late it was apparent that Pemily's team had already taken the lead, and it was a heated struggle to keep it. Dolores spotted Pemily with the ball and grinned, resisting the urge to wave and throw off her concentration.  
Suddenly Pemily was tackled and the crowd gasped as she fell- and then cheered as she quickly recovered and passed the ball to one of her teammates.

Dolores hardly understood the rules of soccer but she found herself enjoying the atmosphere and watching Pemily in action. She took a moment to look around at the sizeable crowd of parents and students from Pemily's school and spotted the two older boys she'd seen in Starbucks what felt like so long ago. She laughed at herself when she noticed one had his arm around the other possessively, it didn't look like either of them had their eye on Pemily.  
They both burst into sympathetic groans and Dolores quickly turned her attention back to the game in time to see Pemily miss a goal. She looked frustrated and her teammates looked almost murderous. Something twisted in Dolores' gut and she gripped the railing.

The match went by quickly and with one final cheer from the crowd, Pemily's team won. But however happy and lighthearted most of the players looked, Pemily was white as a sheet, and she clung to Dolores' arm as they walked home afterwards.

"Pemily, it's ok, you're safe." Dolores soothed, but it fell on deaf ears until Dolores stopped believing her own words. It was the most terrified she had ever seen Pemily and so she knew a threat must have been involved and, even though she was becoming more confident in her strength, she still walked with crutches and didn't see any possible successful outcome in attempting to go up against an entire team of angry girls.

Pemily's house was close, and Dolores was almost sure that they would make it to safety unconfronted when someone shouted from somewhere behind them and Pemily suddenly disappeared, pulled to the concrete ground with a scream by a tall girl in Pemily's school colours. 

Dolores watched in horror as Pemily tried to get up and was kicked back down by another girl. 

"Stay down, fucking dyke scum" muttered a voice harshly and Dolores' vision clouded with panic as she stumbled forward blindly, dropping her crutches.

"Pemily!" She screamed, feeling fingers close around her wrist. She looked up into the sneering face of stockily built girl, so close she could see the twisted excitement in her eyes, and Dolores almost pitied her. Almost.

"Is this your little janky-legged girlfriend, then, dyke?" The girl laughed.

"Don't say that!" Dolores yelled, almost at the same time as Pemily's cry of  
"Don't touch her!"

Dolores' breath quickened as she felt the arm holding her withdraw and throw her forward onto the hard ground, and whether it was the shock or the impact, but Dolores blacked out to the sound of Pemily's screams.


	8. Chapter 8

First it was light.  
Then sounds; creaking, rattling hospital sounds.  
And then Dolores could see a white ceiling, and an unfamiliar window and with a rush of fear she realised where she was. 

"Dolores?" A soft voice broke her panic. It wasn't her grandmother.

"Pemily?" She lifted her head to turn it and let out a cry when pain surged behind her eyes.

"Oh my god! Oh my god I'm so sorry." Pemily fussed as she pressed a button that lifted the head end of the bed upwards. Dolores laughed in spite of herself.

"I got a lifty bed. I must be pretty battlescarred."

"Well you got a pretty bad knock to the head.I mean you're not going to die or anything but they reckoned the medicine and all would hurt your head more so- lifty bed." Pemily reached out to touch her arm "Your shoulder is also dislocated." 

Dolores groaned. The last thing she needed was another non functional limb. Then she gasped.

"What about you?" She cried "Are you ok?" 

Pemily grinned and held up her left hand, which was wrapped in a blue cast. 

"I'm already discharged. I just broke my wrist. Which means I won't have to play soccer for a while!" She paused "Although I doubt I'll ever have to play with that team again." She added quietly.  
Suddenly she brightened again.

"I brought you some stuff from home, since you'll be in till tomorrow." Pemily began taking things out of a canvas bag. Dolores' blanket, toothbrush, laptop, and a teddy that was definitely new, bearing the telltale 'get well soon' heart of the hospital giftshop. Dolores held out her free hand to take the bear and hold it in the crook of her arm.

"You met my baachan?" She asked "How did that go?" 

"Your grandma? Yeah, she's really nice! And I think she likes me? I mean I introduced myself as your friend obviously."

Dolores laughed, and then groaned, spurring a panicked "what?" from Pemily.

"I just realised I can't use my crutches with a dislocated shoulder!"

"Well you can hold my arm if you want-" a buzzing noise came from Pemily's pocket and she pulled out her phone to read the text "Oh, no. It's my mum. I have to go home."  
Dolores smiled weakly.

"It's ok. I'll survive. Probably." 

"I'll see you tomorrow." Pemily promised, leaning forward to gently kiss Dolores' forehead, and then she was gone, and the room was quiet and empty again.

*****

When Dolores woke up the next morning no one was there to greet her.  
She was, however, surrounded by things. The teddy from Pemily, flowers and what remained of a Tupperware box of cookies from her grandmother, and several rather unnecessary cards from various aunts and uncles and family friends. Somehow they managed to make Dolores feel worse, like she'd be staying in hospital longer than a day.

She was exhausted, but somehow felt well rested at the same time. Carefully, she tried lifting her head from her pillow. It didn't hurt. Or certainly not as much as it had. It seemed like a good day for going home, but she knew her grandmother couldn't come and get her until the late afternoon, and the clock still read 10:17. Certainly too early for Pemily to visit either.  
Dolores was deeply, unavoidably bored. 

And suddenly everything was on fire and Dolores was utterly helpless. Her legs ended a few inches past her hips without her prosthetics and for some reason her arms weren't there either. 

She saw the girl who had pushed her to the ground, except now she was holding Dolores by the front of her shirt, and there was fire everywhere and she could see her parents and her grandmother and everyone was screaming and-

Dolores woke up shaking, with hands on her shoulders and a worried face in front of her.

"Pem? Is it... Is it visiting time?"

Pemily laughed, visibly relaxing, and sat down on the bed.

"Yeah it is. Bad dream?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle"

Pemily squeezed Dolores' hand. 

"Well, d'y'reckon you're rested enough to get up? I was wondering if you wanted to practice... Walking? Without crutches I mean." 

"D'you think I can?"

"You can do anything. And I brought you a Klondike bar so you'd better prove yourself."

"I hate you." Dolores laughed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *screams gently* after much procrastination I have finished my first proper fic! Enjoy this trash

It was almost completely silent in the corridor as Dolores took that first unaided step. With no feeling in her prosthetics she was terrified of her knees giving way, even though she knew they weren't that loose. She heard Pemily gasp quietly and she smiled before taking another short, shaky step.

And suddenly the silence was broken by two nurses, walking quickly through the corridor wheeling an empty gurney. Dolores laughed and let herself fall against the wall, catching herself with one hand. 

"Hey, you did it!" Pemily grinned, running up with Dolores' crutches in hand.

"I did two steps, Pemily." Dolores said, but she couldn't help beaming with pride. 

"Baby steps!" Pemily reassured her, her arms around Dolores' neck "Literally!" She added, before pulling her in for a kiss.

Dolores let her arms wind around Pemily's waist, elated by the small achievement of keeping her weight off the wall and on her legs. She relaxed into the kiss, deaf to the nurses and visitors passing by, as if she was floating on her own personal cloud nine with no one but the girl who had hovered on the edge of her soccer team in Starbucks, who had given Dolores her number, and not minded about her legs, and watched her favourite Marvel movie with her, and trusted her with her story and listened to hers. 

Dolores was the one to break the kiss, blushing a little as a motherly looking nurse winked at her with a smile.

"My baachan is coming soon," She explained, a little breathlessly "I don't want to shock her."

Pemily had barely agreed when a call came from down the corridor.

"Ah, Dolly! There you are!" Dolores' grandmother was making her way towards them surprisingly fast, with a big smile on her face.

"Dolly." Pemily teased quietly.

"Shut up." Dolores whispered back

"Look at you up!" The old woman said, reaching them. She gasped loudly when she saw the crutches leaning against the cinderblock wall.  
"Are you walking? Have you done it?"

"I think I've got the hang of it!" Dolores replied, taking a confident step towards her grandmother, and suddenly wobbling.

"Almost." She repealed.

Dolores' grandmother looked close to tears.

"You did it!" She whispered "You are wonderful!" And Dolores was pulled into a strong hug. 

When finally the embrace separated, Dolores' grandmother put her hand on Pemily's arm.

"I know you, I think!" She said "Dolores, who is this?" 

Pemily seemed embarrassed by the attention, which made Dolores smile.

"This is my..." It felt like as good a moment as any "This is my girlfriend, Pemily Stallwark." 

The happy surprise on Pemily's face assured Dolores that it had in fact been a good introduction.

Dolores' grandmother clapped her hands together in excitement.

"Oh, you two are together?!" She exclaimed "How exciting! I am so happy for you." 

Dolores took Pemily's hand and squeezed it, and her grandmother wrapped her arms around them both, and all of them laughed and hugged each other and not for the first time in recent months, Dolores felt like her life was completely perfect.


End file.
